✈️ 🙏 💪 Why Welcome the Unexpected
Travel Turbulence Provides a Life Lesson
Dear Why Team member,
I hope this week’s message finds you well, facing, and embracing, life’s gifts.
At this writing, I am very grateful to be boarding a flight that is on time
I have flown nearly two million miles with Delta alone and have never had more delays, changes, and rescheduling than I have had in the past five days - including two cancelled flights that each required an overnight stay. And for someone who is very attentive to his sleep schedule, it couldn’t be more out of whack. Surely you have experienced something like this, or similar, and you know how disruptive it can be. These are, of course, opportunities to learn and grow through experience.
A Marine friend of mine once shared the two most important SA’s of a Marine:
Self-Awareness
Situational Awareness
He said you cannot accomplish situational awareness until you first achieve self-awareness - and self-awareness best grows and develops with adversity.
Wow, now sit on that insight a while.
We are creatures of habit that find comfort in the unfolding of our expectations. Self-awareness can bring more responsibility, thoughtful engagement in our situation, and opportunities to ask why. This takes work and is often not so easy.
As my travel plans were thwarted time and time again, I noticed my reactivity was not a good trade of my precious life time. Instead, I decided to seek the lesson. What is there for me to learn about me and why I have become irritated? Ultimately, I was where I was meant to be - to learn, to grow.
Of course, any reasonable person could understand why I would be exasperated - but I didn’t want to miss the lesson that was being given to me. Could I live out my mantra that life doesn’t happen to us, but rather for us?! Where is the silver in the midst of these dark clouds - that are apparently causing my flight issues? :-) And how about the loved ones in my life expressing sympathy for my situation - I know it’s considered loving but what was the value in their sympathy? I suppose we may appreciate less the one that says: ‘suck it up dude, it’s a first world problem, don’t let circumstances invade your peace - find the lesson - be grateful in all things.’ But…
Who is responsible for you?
The sympathy says: I’m with you, I feel you, that must be terrible, awe, poor you.
My Scotch/Cherokee Great Grandfather who fought in WWI, was a Badass and Powerfully named: Royal Guy Findley.
He used to say that if someone offers you pity, reject it, it will only weaken you.
How about we say thanks, but no thanks, to pity - there is a lesson in here and I’m excited to find it. This adversity is bringing me self-awareness, empowering my situational awareness. This adversity is revealing me to me to become a better version of me.
We didn’t win our Independence as a Nation on self-pity, but on awakened responsible action. Taxation without representation was just the wake up call we needed to become the United States of America. Our adversity led us to our Liberty - and your adversities can do the same for you.
Who wants to live a habitual life that is over before you know it?!
Sure, it’s easier not to think, I suppose we could just sleepwalk through life and rail at God for the stubbed toe - but could that hurting toe be the Wake Up call we need?
How about we embrace it all, get fascinated, not frustrated, start mining, stop whining - where’s that silver for us and for others?!
The gift of self-awareness and situational awareness brought a newfound gratitude for this morning's on-time flight, perhaps more than I've ever felt for any previous flight. I noticed how my gratitude had shifted my attitude. I found myself smiling more at others on the plane who returned the courtesy. The flight attendant seemed more attentive; reminding me once again of Anais Nin's famous line that we don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.
Where do we get our attitudes of entitlement? Have we lost perspective? And are we not extremely blessed when we regain it?!
I am so grateful for the worse travel experience of my life. Grateful for the learning, the growing, the perspective, the silver found in the lining. I am grateful for the opportunities I received to practice what I preach - surely our actions matter more than our words.
Consider living a life that more welcomes life and all its adventure - often presented as simply not giving you what you expected. Welcome the wake-up calls to be more present, to learn more, to grow more - growing through life, not just going through life. Look for the lesson to work all things to good. Say thanks, but no thanks, to the sympathy or pity; respond rather with your gratitude for the opportunity to build more fortitude.
After all the years of on time flights, I am particularly grateful for a slew of unmet expectations, lack of sleep, and frustration - to awaken me to this incredible life I am blessed to live - and this wonderful opportunity to give.
Wishing you adventures of a lifetime and your own BEST WEEK EVER!!
Happy Independence Day!!
Make it a great week!
Steve Luckenbach